Traditional automakers opt for "suicidal" price cuts—will the car market be reshuffled once again?
Zeekr officially launches its certified pre-owned vehicles; Four Dimensions Map: Announces that Great Wall Motors has selected its technology, helping the automaker achieve urban autonomous driving; What are the advantages of Tesla’s FSD HW 4.0 chip?
Car News Weekly
Smart driving-related news broadcast
▶ Introduction
Hot Topic This Issue:
1. The EU's plan to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles faces another setback.
1. First week of March passenger vehicle sales
2. Zeekr Official Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles Now Available
2. What are the advantages of Tesla FSD HW 4.0 chip?
This issue's keywords: Industry New Regulations, Automaker Updates, Autonomous Driving
PART.1 Industry New Regulations
1. The EU's plan to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles faces another setback.
Recently, the European Union announced plans to reduce carbon emissions from EU passenger vehicles by 55% compared to 2021 levels by 2030, with the goal of achieving net-zero emissions entirely by 2035. Although the EU's 27 member states reached an agreement on this initiative last October—making the upcoming vote largely a formality—the decision has now been indefinitely postponed due to concerns that Germany might choose to abstain. German Chancellor Scholz emphasized that Germany’s stance does not reflect disagreement, but rather reflects careful consideration of how the plan can be effectively implemented in practice.
One significant reason for Germany's concerns is that the automotive industry accounts for a major portion of the country's economy. According to data from Bloomberg, the German automotive sector employs approximately 800,000 people and generates industry revenues of around €411 billion. Meanwhile, figures from the German Economic Service Weekly indicate that an additional 1.8 million jobs are tied to the automotive industry's broader supply chain in Germany.
Compared to gasoline-powered vehicles, electric cars contain fewer components, which will significantly reduce the workforce needed for manufacturing and design. Therefore, once the ban takes effect, a large number of jobs could disappear. Moreover, it’s not just Germany—employees across the entire European automotive industry actually face the risk of unemployment.
2. United States: The Autonomous Vehicle Association releases a policy framework to advance the deployment and commercialization of self-driving technology.
According to foreign media reports, the U.S. Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association released a policy framework on March 1, outlining the key priorities for federal legislation and regulation of autonomous vehicles. The framework presented by the association includes several recommendations aimed at guiding Congress and the Department of Transportation in taking appropriate actions, thereby accelerating the deployment and commercialization of self-driving cars across the United States.
The association stated that this is the first federal advisory framework for autonomous driving in the United States, covering all types of self-driving vehicles—including delivery vehicles, trucks, and passenger cars. In a separate letter sent to U.S. Democratic and Republican lawmakers, as well as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the organization urged Congress to enact a federal autonomous vehicle law, while also encouraging Buttigieg to advance the safety benefits of self-driving cars through executive and regulatory actions.
PART.2 Factory Updates
1. First week of March passenger vehicle sales
In the first week of March—Week 9 of 2023—automobile sales reached 357,100 units, representing a 3.4% year-on-year decline compared to the same period last year, but a 5.77% increase from the previous week. Meanwhile, cumulative sales for the year-to-date were down 24.79% year-on-year. Notably, weekly sales fell by 3.4% compared to the same week last year.
In the first week of March, new energy vehicle sales reached 116,600 units, representing a 3.54% increase from the previous week and a robust 24.4% rise year-on-year. Meanwhile, cumulative sales for the month were up 19.6% compared to the same period last year. Among these, pure electric models accounted for 85,000 units sold in a single week, marking a 12.6% year-on-year increase and a 7.2% weekly growth. Plug-in hybrid vehicles recorded sales of 27,900 units, while range-extended electric vehicles achieved 3,500 units.
2. Zeekr Official Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles Now Available
According to a report by NetEase, on March 6, 2023, Zeekr Certified, the official used-car subsidiary brand under Zeekr Intelligent Technology, was officially launched nationwide. As the official used-car channel for the Zeekr brand, it offers users a comprehensive, one-stop service covering every stage—from purchasing a car, to selling one, and even facilitating trade-ins—while also establishing a robust product lifecycle value management system.
To eliminate problematic vehicles, Zeekr-certified cars adhere to stringent entry standards right from the source—accepting only vehicles that are within 6 years or 120,000 kilometers, have zero structural damage, and have experienced no water or fire-related accidents. These vehicles undergo more than 360 rigorous professional inspections and 55 comprehensive quality certifications, ensuring customers can buy with confidence and enjoy a worry-free driving experience.
Most users who purchase used cars worry about after-sales service issues. To address this concern, Zeekr has introduced an industry-leading warranty policy, offering a lifetime warranty on the three core electric components, along with an extended vehicle warranty of up to 6 years or 150,000 kilometers. Customers can also enjoy hassle-free charging services and a 15-day return/exchange option—benefits and services that match those of new vehicles in terms of quality and convenience.
3. Auto Dealership Price-Cutting Craze
On March 7, according to incomplete statistics, a total of 58 models from seven major brands—Dongfeng Honda, Dongfeng Nissan, Dongfeng Citroën, Dongfeng Peugeot, Dongfeng Fengshen, Dongfeng Lantu, and Dongfeng Fukang—are participating in car-buying subsidies. Among them, the French joint-venture brand Dongfeng Citroën is offering the most substantial discount: the original suggested retail price starts at 211,900 yuan, but the final price of the Citroën C6 could drop to around 140,000 yuan. Notably, this round of subsidies is exclusively available in Hubei Province and is valid only until March 31.
On March 8, news broke in the market that Mercedes-Benz had launched a new round of price cuts and promotions specifically targeting the Beijing region, with discounts exceeding 110,000 yuan. In response to these reports, several Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Beijing confirmed that the information was false.
Currently, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class is discounted by 60,000 yuan, while the E-Class offers a 50,000-yuan discount. All 4S dealerships in Beijing are providing these promotions, but the differences between individual stores typically max out at around 5,000 yuan. Therefore, a 110,000-yuan discount is simply not possible.
PART 3. Industry Chain Information
1. Four Dimensions Map: Officially Announces That Great Wall Motors Has Been Selected as a Designated Partner, Helping It Achieve Urban Autonomous Driving
Recently, Four Dimensions Digital Technology officially announced that it has received a定点通知 (designated supplier notification) from Chongqing Procurement Branch of Great Wall Motor Co., Ltd., a domestic automaker. Under the agreement, the company will provide map data and engine services for select models that are set to enter mass production and launch in the near future, enabling city-level autonomous driving capabilities.
Four Dimensions Technology stated that, in response to the growing intelligent driving industry, it has launched a new-generation map engine called "Auto on Map." By integrating four types of maps—traditional navigation maps, advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) maps, high-precision maps, and parking lot maps—into a single, unified solution, the company offers one map, one positioning system, and one powerful engine, enabling "autonomous driving directly on the map."
2. What are the advantages of Tesla FSD HW 4.0 chip?
Regarding Tesla's FSD computing chip, during the HW 1.0 era, Tesla was still using Mobileye's EyeQ series chips—back when advanced driver-assistance features were still in the Autopilot phase. By the time of the HW 2.0 era, Tesla switched to NVIDIA's Drive PX2 for its driver-assistance computing needs. However, in 2017, Tesla introduced an additional Tegra Parker chip into its driver-assistance computing platform, marking the transition to the HW 2.5 era. Then, in 2019, Tesla unveiled the HW 3.0 hardware for its Full Self-Driving system, a design that remains in use today. Notably, the HW 3.0 chip is entirely developed in-house by Tesla, delivering an impressive total compute power of 144 TOPS—far surpassing competitors at the time.
HW 4.0 (7nm process, manufactured by Samsung) is estimated to deliver performance approximately 2–4 times that of HW 3.0. It features an increased number of internal CPU cores—from 12 to 20—and a maximum frequency of 2.35 GHz. Additionally, the number of TRIP cores has been boosted from 2 to 3, with a peak frequency of 2.2 GHz.
In the HW 3.0 era, Tesla used two 72 TOPS computing chips, one of which served as a backup. However, as Tesla's FSD data-processing demands grew, both chips in the HW 3.0 setup began handling data simultaneously—effectively eliminating the original redundancy design. By the time of HW 4.0, according to currently leaked information, Tesla is also expected to adopt the same dual-FSD-chip redundancy design.
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